Bittersweet
by The Psychokiller
Summary: Lauren comes upon Lance's 'Love Letter', and thinking the worst, goes to see the sender to learn the truth. Viola, amused by this odd girl, decides to have a little fun with her. Hijinks ensue. Viola/Lauren oneshot. (Inspired by and in response to an old Kink Meme request!)


**Bittersweet**

Sweet. If Viola had to use one word to describe the girl that sidled into the office of Tender Lender, it would be sweet. Oh sure, she could say that the girl was anxious, nervous, even shy, but sweetness was what first came to her mind. It was in her scent. Perhaps it was just that ring pop she had on her finger, or a purposeful choice of perfume, but it was noticeable as soon as she came in.

"H-hello...?" Lauren mumbled before waiting for a reply.

Hidden behind a back wall, Viola had been spying on her, but soon emerged to look at the young woman full-on. She was quite the pretty little number, Viola thought to herself. She didn't look like the type to be involved with her kind of business, but it was never wise to judge a book by its cover. Viola's grandfather, Bruto, had taught her that long ago.

"...Hello... How may I help you, today... madam?"

A chill ran through Lauren's spine hearing the strange looking woman speak. She was pretty, but there was something about this woman which set her alarms off, though, even Lauren would admit that it didn't take much for that to occur.

"Um... I-I-I, um. Oh dear, Lauren, you've really messed up this time. S-she's terrifying!" she murmured, more to herself than anyone in particular.

It didn't go past Viola's keen ears, however, and a sharp giggle escaped her lips. What a weird woman, she thought. The girl's distressed ramblings were so amusing that Viola took little offense at being deemed terrifying. She simply shook it off and took a few stops closer to Lauren. With a hand held to her mouth, she affected false sadness in her next words.

"...T-terrifying? You wound me, Lauren... I-I might just... cry..." Viola whimpered. It was cruel of her, she knew, but she had a mischievous side that had to be sated every now and then.

Lauren, in turn, reacted just as she wanted. In shock and embarrassment, she reached for the pair of scissors hidden in her apron and aimed for the locks of her hair."Oh! No, no, no! I-I'm sorry, Miss... You're not terrifying, you're, you're... beautiful. Ahh!"

That had slipped out, as an attempt to make up for her previous comment, and her face went beet red, and her next mutterings were practically unintelligible.

Meanwhile, Viola giggled to herself. This girl was going to be very fun.. Not only was she talking to herself out loud, but she had a pair of scissors too? How very interesting...

"...Well, thank you... Hee... Hee... hee... You're quite pretty yourself... But. Are we going to just stand here and flirt... or are you going to tell me why are you here..."

At once, Lauren stood up and faced Viola again. She had reminded her of why she had come to this strange place, in the first first. This strange woman had flustered poor Lauren so badly that it had slipped her mind. For now, she attempted to remain on topic, though shakiness still lingered in her voice.

It was a delightful shakiness that Viola savored, though she still listened carefully to Lauren. Playing with her was proving to be quite fun, but Viola knew she wouldn't come to Tender Lender without good reason.

"A-ah, yes... all right. My name is Lauren. Lauren Paups... I s-stumbled upon this letter..."

At that, she pulled out an envelope from her apron, one that had Tender Lender's address in the corner. Viola recognized it at once, and her curiosity was raised even more so. This woman couldn't have come to Tender Lender before, as she would have remembered such an interesting figure. Her mind went through the other possibilities, and one and only one came to mind. She couldn't be sure, of course, so she waited quietly for Lauren to finish.

"A-and um... it's addressed to my Lance..." Viola's ears perked up slightly hearing the name 'Lance'. "A-are you Viola?"

That sealed it. She wouldn't need to hear the last name to know that she was talking about Lance Amano. During a few of their 'friendly chats', Lance had mentioned off-handedly a girlfriend of his. Apparently, this was that girlfriend. Thinking about him left a rather nasty look on Viola's face. He had been a difficult client, and despite her best attempts to remain patient and tolerant, he had not returned a single dime to her as of yet. She was beginning to wonder just what she would have to do to get him to repay his debts. And if this really was his girlfriend, Viola could only wonder what she might think if she told her some of the remarks Lance had said about her. The poor thing might just have started crying then and there.

"..." Viola remained silent, if only to add to the tension between them, though she really wasn't sure how to deal with this little issue. This was going to be quite awkward, but lying wouldn't get either of them anywhere

Lauren shot glances at nearly everything in the room except for Viola's face. The silence was more unnerving than when Viola had been calling her pretty, and she sincerely she wasn't going to wake up in the trunk of someone's car.

"Please... Sit." There was a certain authority in the tone of her voice beyond the usual sickly-sweetness that caused Lauren to practically hop to the nearest chair. With a sigh, and a shake of the head, Viola took the seat across from Lauren's.

"...Coffee?" She uttered solemnly, before moving a cup to Lauren's side.

Lauren's eyes widened, not quite sure if she should accept it or not. Something about this woman just seemed off. Drinking or eating anything she had to offer couldn't be a good idea. Then again, after she had been so rude earlier... she was really rather conflicted.

"Um... I'm not going to d-die if I-I drink this, am I?" she said.

With another giggle, Viola replied. "Hee... Hee... Hee... Why don't you try it... and see for yourself...?

That was hardly relieving to poor Lauren, but she nodded shakily. "...A-all right... Thank you, Miss." Lauren took the cup and sipped it carefully. After a few moments passed and she didn't keel over dead, drinking from it wasn't so bad, even if she wasn't much of a coffee drinker, in the first place. Viola regarded her with a slight smile, before returning to the matter at hand.

"...To answer your questions... Yes, I do know Lance. And I am Viola..." Viola paused to let the information sink in for a moment. If her presumption was correct, she had a feeling Lauren wouldn't be pleased to hear the truth.

"I-I see... Oh, Lauren, it's just like you thought! Lance... he's seeing another woman... someone far more beautiful and interesting than you are. You should have seen it coming! How could any man be satisfied with someone as disgusting and pathetic as you?! Of course he would step out on you! You foolish girl!"

"..." Viola had nothing to say at the moment, in regard to Lauren's display. The poor girl had set her cup down, and was hiding her face in her hands, but she could hear the sobs coming from her, and for the first time, she found herself feeling... was it sympathy? Perhaps so, or perhaps it was just pity. She certainly wouldn't admit it, but she did know the feeling of crying over someone she thought cared about her. Lauren's tears seemed almost too familiar. Either way, this was no longer fun, so Viola would have to reassure her with the truth of the matter.

"...You didn't let me finish..." Viola said plainly.

Lauren lifted her head to look at her. "W-what?" She wasn't sure what else had to be said, because it seemed so clear to her. Was Viola going to rub his affair in her face? Oh, she didn't think she could take that.

"...While I do know Lance Amano... I am not... stealing him away from you. I wouldn't dream of it... Honestly." That was the absolute truth. Besides the fact that he was just a client, that snobby demeanor and those ridiculous ears were not things that interested her in the slightest. She had simply heard that he was supposedly a 'ladies man', and had decided to play with that in the collection letters she sent to him. At the time, she had not even considered that a person may have gotten the wrong idea from them.

Lauren was positively shocked to hear this from her, and hardly believed it at first, as much as she wanted to. The hopefulness in her voice belied her doubt. "B-but... The letter? It's a love letter, right? I-I mean..."

Her voice trailed off weakly, allowing for Viola to object quite easily. "...Not quite... If you would have read... the rest of it... you would have seen the true purpose of the letter..." Really, it wasn't that hard to see what it really was, but then again, it didn't seem like it would be out-of-character for Lauren to have read the body of the letter and panicked from there, failing to see the rest.

"T-the true purpose...?" Lauren stared at her, and then back at the letter, wide-eyed. It was clear she wasn't getting the implications Viola was attempting to make known.

After taking a moment to relish that expression of adorable confusion, Viola decided that it might be best to just be blunt with this one. "...Lance owes Tender Lender money... Quite a lot... That letter was a collections bill... My... unique... choice of words was just my way of... getting his attention..." Yes, that was one way of putting it.

"A-ah... I-I... didn't consider that." Lauren processed this new information for a moment, before an expression of absolute relief appeared on her face. Just to confirm what Viola had told her, she took another closer look at the letter and the accompanying bill that came with it. She was right. The whole thing was just a bill, at the heart of it. Lance wasn't cheating on her at all, and that pleased Lauren to no end. For the first time that day, a soft smile came upon on her face, which wasn't lost on Viola, who smiled in return. She could take some sense of accomplishment for helping bring such a lovely smile to her face.

Viola sipped her own cup of coffee before speaking once more. "...You see? You have nothing to fear..." As far as she knew, at least. It wasn't something she could prove, and she certainly didn't want to set Lauren off once more, but it wouldn't have surprised her to learn that Lance was seeing women on the side. He had been an unreliable client, so who was to say he wouldn't be an unreliable lover?

"I see. Well, that's... that's wonderful, then! I really thought that Lance was... oh, I don't want to even say it now! Oh, Lance, sweetie, I'm so sorry! I should never have doubted your commitment to me!"

Viola couldn't help but roll her eyes at that, which went unnoticed by Lauren, of course. Talking to herself was silly enough, but did she really think Lance would be able to sense her apology, wherever he was? And if he could, would he really care? Viola couldn't help but doubt it.

"...Well, then... I am glad that's settled... Was there anything you needed today, Ms. Paups?" Viola was half-tempted to say something about Lance to her, but figured it probably wasn't her business. After all, she may have been letting her own experiences with her former lover cloud her judgment. It was likely best to send Lauren on her way, as much as she had enjoyed this interesting encounter.

Lauren thought for a while, trying to see if there was anything else she needed. And as she thought more and more, the more her typical demeanor returned as a sinking feeling began to manifest itself inside of her. Sure, Lance wasn't cheating on her, which made her very happy, but he still owed a large sum of money to this place. If she had read the bill correctly, it was one million dollars. Normally, she wouldn't have thought to be such a large amount, at least, to Lance, but there must have been a reason he had tried to keep this hidden from her and his father. She wondered why he hadn't just asked Mr. Amano for the money. A million was nothing to Mr. Amano, and she had lived with them long enough to know that Ernest loved Lance very much, and would have been willing to pay. The solutionv seemed obvious, even to her, yet Lance hadn't taken it. That fact worried her almost as much as the fact that he was in debt at all. She was no detective, but she could tell that something was wrong with Lance. And now that she knew the truth, she couldn't just leave without trying to do something to help her beloved.

"Lance... he owes you a lot, doesn't he? ...Is there anything I can do that could help him with his debt? I-I'll do anything... " She was nervous, even asking that. Even though Viola didn't seem like such a bad person upon further exposure, she got the feeling that if one owed her anything, that person would regret it in the end.

For Viola, though, the question uttered so innocently sent a shiver of delight down her spine. Ever since she had walked in, Viola had let a few less than innocent thoughts play in her mind, though her concern and sympathy for Lauren's plight had kept them to the side. Hearing her sweet little voice plead was enough to send her thoughts racing. One thing she enjoyed about her job was the control that she had over others. She didn't usually use it for malicious purposes, but she could be naughty, at times. The smile that appeared on her face now seemed positively predatory.

"...Hee... Anything, you say? Hmm... Lance is in quite a lot of debt... I cannot just... forget one million dollars. But... perhaps you could alleviate his debt somewhat... for a price..."

Lauren gulped, and waited to take another drink of her coffee before she rather weakly responded. "A-A price? D-d-did you need me to clean... or maybe bring you some food... or s-something?" 

Such a reaction didn't surprise Viola. Lauren seemed to be scared out of her mind, and for a moment, she did almost feel sorry for the poor girl. Of course, that brief remorse didn't stop her from standing up from her chair and moving to circle Lauren's seat in the same manner a shark would circle a bleeding marlin.

"...Not quite what I had in mind... What I want... is _you." _She placed special emphasis on the word, 'you', which sent a shiver of an entirely different kind down Lauren's spine.

"M-me? I'm sorry... b-but I'm really not sure what I-I can offer... besides what I mentioned... I'm not really a very t-talented person... Sorry..."

"Hee Hee... Oh, I don't know... I think you can offer... quite a bit... my sweet..." She paused to examine Lauren once more. "Stand up. Please..."

As before, there was a certain authority in Viola's voice that made it seem more like a command than anything that made Lauren arise quickly.

"Good girl..." She practically purred before stepping in closer to Lauren. Yes, that was perfect. Viola was the big, bad cat, and sweet, sweet Lauren was the meek, little mouse. And Viola would eat her right up...

As for Lauren, though she hadn't quite gotten what Viola was implying before, when she decided to encroach on Lauren's personal space, it became clear, even to her, what was on Viola's mind. Normally, in situations like these, Lauren would probably scream and run away, or at least try to put some space between them, at least, but now? All she could muster was a nervous little squeak. Who knew what Lance would think if he could see the two of them? And yet, strangely, all she could really think about now was Viola. Being so close to her allowed Lauren to really take her in. The two were essentially the same height and size, so she could stare directly into Viola's eyes. They were so dark and so mysterious, but just as well, they were large, and surprisingly gentle, in expression. It would have been difficult to look away from them, even if they weren't already nose to nose. And that wasn't mentioning how soft her lips looked, and the sheen of her jet-black hair, and a number of other things that were really hard not to notice, considering their distance. She would have liked to thought it was just fear and nervousness that were dominating her emotions and not something else, but either way, her heart was now beating a mile a minute

Viola kept quiet for just a little while longer, enjoying the silence once more. She could admire Lauren even closer now, and admire she did. She raised a hand to caress Lauren's cheek, enjoying the softness of it, and was partially surprised by how warm it felt. At this point, Lauren knew that she should have definitely pulled away from her and perhaps just ran away entirely, but something kept her there. Viola's hand were so cold, but her touch was so gentle and tender that Lauren couldn't help but lean into it just slightly, rubbing her cheek against Viola's hand. Lauren deeply enjoyed physical displays of affection like that, though usually, it was Lance who was doing it. The fact that this strange woman who was practically a stranger could elicit such a reaction from her would no doubt make her question quite a lot about herself once she was alone again. For now, she still couldn't muster up any sort of objection for whatever reason.

Now, Viola hadn't expected such a positive reaction from her, but she wasn't complaining one bit. If anything it lessened any guilt she might have felt over having her way with Lauren. With slightly more enthusiasm, she continued to caress and stroke Lauren's face, and the other woman continued to savor each touch, caress, and the strange feelings that they gave her, leaning and rubbing against Viola's dainty hands with more enthusiasm than before. She was like a cat getting petted by her master. At one point, she even began to run her fingers through Lauren's hair which, if she had heard correctly, elicited the slightest of moans from her, though that was all she seemed to have to say. That quiet little moan was enough to bring Viola great pleasure, and it spurred her to continue on this little teasing quest, as she caressed those long locks that framed her face.

" ...You know... I wasn't lying earlier... when I said you were quite pretty... Such soft hair... Such sweet-smelling lips... You are a beautiful woman..." Her voice was even softer than usual, and after saying that, she leaned in to Lauren's ear, whispering before flicking her tongue over her lobe. "_My... Lolli..." _If she remembered correctly, that was the pet name Lance used for her. Hopefully, he wouldn't mind her co-opting it for the moment.

Either way, it worked very well on Lauren, sending another shiver down her spine, this one most definitely one of the utmost pleasure. There was something oddly inviting and enticing in Viola's voice when she uttered it, though the fact she was right in Lauren's ear and had flicked her tongue over it that probably helped it just a little. Even so considering how malicious her voice normally sounded, it was quite the accomplishment that she could sound so sweet.

By this point, Lauren had become a flustered, little mess. Her heart was pounding out of her chest, and she was sure Viola could hear it in the silence that lingered between them. She had grown more and more red in the face as Viola explored every pore of her face, and even her breath had become shorter and deeper. What this meant for Lauren would have to be thought about later, as right now, her thoughts were entirely occupied by Viola. Though, given everything, she was far too shy and unsure to even begin to initiate any sort of physical contact. It took her a while to even say anything coherent, and what was said was hardly anything noteworthy

"M-M-Miss Viola..." she said, barely above a whisper. There was a longing of pure desire in her voice, and Viola noticed that Lauren's gaze was solely focused on her lips. It was truly obvious what was on her mind. Stifling a giggle, she decided that, at this point, it would be wrong to _not _allow her some sense of release, and she would not deny that Lauren's own lips looked to be as sweet as sugar right about now. They still were extremely close, in space, so it was easy for her to close her eyes and close the distance between them. Even though it was clear that Lauren wanted her kiss, a part of her still thought she might pull away or stop her once it began. Surprisingly enough, though, as soon as their lips met, Lauren returned the kiss with an unexpected amount of force, even resting her hands on Viola's shoulders, as she kissed her back. Viola was more than a little shocked, but she supposed that Lauren did have a boyfriend, so she couldn't have been totally inexperienced with kissing.

As for the kiss itself, the word that first came to her mind was sweet. The kiss was very sweet. That was the first thing that registered in Viola's mind. Lauren must have had some special sort of lip gloss or lipstick as she tasted of the sweetest candy. Who knows, perhaps that ringpop was the cause of it, as she had noticed Lauren had a habit of licking it when she was thinking or nervous. Either way, it proved to be highly enjoyable, and there was even a hint of the coffee that she been drinking still present on her lips which gave a certain bitterness that made the kiss that much sweeter. Meanwhile, Lauren was in heaven, at that particular moment. Viola's lips were as soft and tender as she had imagined they would be, and although she felt naughty for admitting it, there was a dark bitterness in them that only encouraged her to keep going, in spite of every logical part of her that told her she shouldn't be doing it.

Their bittersweet kiss was lasting longer than Viola had first wanted it to. Lauren's eagerness was an unexpected variable, and Viola did want to assert the control over the kiss, but as it was going, it was more like Lauren was kissing her rather than the other way around. She really must have been more experienced in the art of romance than her modest dress and shy demeanor indicated. Lauren moaned against her lips, and Viola shuddered to her very core, and was truly tempted to start teasing her tongue into her mouth. Soon enough, though, Viola was the one who had to break it up, if only to take a breath. She took a good look at Lauren, who was panting as well, before coming to a conclusion. Had she really wanted to, Viola felt like she could have done whatever she pleased with Lauren, at this point. But, after considering that she did have a boyfriend, whom she devoted to, in her way, she decided that it wouldn't be right of her to continue on this path, at least not now. So, despite her own arousal at the situation, she stepped away from Lauren and returned to her seat, though a careful eye would have noted the slight blush apparent on her pale, porcelain skin, and she could feel her own heartbeat pacing excitedly. Despite her intentions of simply having a little fun with this funny little girl, the two had actually shared a romantic moment. How unexpected, she thought to herself. Letting her mind slowly return to normal, she decided that Lauren definitely earned Lance a little more time, and then some. Still, she couldn't let it show just how much she had relished that time spent together. Not openly, at least.

"...That will be all..." she said curtly, as if the past few minutes hadn't happened at all.

Lauren was still quite wound up, at this point, so Viola's retreat and return left her somewhat wanting. "E-eh? Is that it?!" She couldn't stop herself from sounding as if she were almost whining.

"...Yes... Hee... Hee... Don't sound so disappointed, Ms. Paups..." she said casually, though it was hard to not enjoy the effect she had caused on Lauren. Someone was either more repressed or less innocent than they appeared.

That warranted another deep blush from Lauren, whose senses were finally coming back to her. She was still pent-up, but now, embarrassment and shame was becoming the primary emotion on her face as she realized just what she had done. She dug for her scissors and once more aimed for her hair."Ah! Ah! How could you be so horrible, Lauren?! Your heart is so easily won that even a strange can take it just like that! You don't deserve anyone's love when you give it up so easily! Shame! Shame!"

Yes, Viola was glad she had stopped when she had. This was just the sort of reaction she had expected from Lauren, and it probably would have been ten times worse had they gone any further. Even as it was, Viola was partly responsible for her current state, so she would try to comfort her as best she could. She took Lauren's hand, who was still standing but not far away from the table itself, into her own and gave it a soft squeeze, before offering another understated smile.

"...Please don't cut your hair, Ms. Paups... It would be such a shame if you lost such lovely hair..." That alone was enough to snap Lauren out of her self-deprecating state, and she found herself looking down at Viola once more. "...And do not feel bad... All you were doing was your part to help your Lance... I think I can give him a few more months to settle his debt... all thanks to you..."

Lauren paused, unsure of what to say next. That was true, but should she have been so eager and willing to let Viola do as she pleased to her if all she was doing was trying to help Lance? It was still something that bothered her, but at the same time, hearing Viola tell her she wasn't awful or a bad person was comforting, and she slowly lowered her scissors down, slipping them back into her apron. She gave Viola's hand a tight squeeze, before taking a few deep breathes to calm herself down. Viola really wasn't a bad person, at all. That much Lauren was sure of, even if she was still a little scared of her. "...I-I guess... And thank you... for deciding to h-help my Lance... I love him so much..." She could have thanked her for a few other things, while she was at it, and perhaps she was trying to reassure herself of her feelings with her last statement, but she left it at that, which really was for her own good.

"...I can tell... I... I think you are a good person, Ms. Paups, in spite of whatever you may believe to be the case. Try and keep that in mind... if you would... Now then... was there anything else that I could do for you today...?" Viola said casually, though she still gauged her reaction.

Lauren could have answered that in a number of ways, but she decided it would be best for her to get going. She had accomplished what she set out to do, and had been able to help Lance out in the process. As for the rest, she hoped that she would be able to shake off the rest of what had happened as nothing but her own fickle heart, and not a genuine attraction. That would be absolutely awful, no matter how nice it felt. "N-no... you've done more than enough... Miss Viola. I-I think I should go see Lance. H-He might be wondering where I am... Thank you for the coffee." She nodded and bowed respectfully, before turning to leave.

"...You're... very welcome. " She smiled once more, before stopping Lauren one last time as she headed for the front door. "...And Ms. Paups? ...If ever you feel the need to come back to Tender Lender... you are more than welcome... I'll take 'good care' of you... understand?"

And Lauren did. Perhaps altogether too well. Another squeak left her lips and she blushed a deep crimson, but through it all, the slightest of nods could be seen, before she practically sprinted out of the front door. Viola giggled one last time before returning to her paperwork. This girl had turned out to be even more exciting than she had first predicted. Before she got especially involved with her work, her thoughts drifted back to her sweet-scented visitor. As she thought, she began to wonder if Lauren perhaps needed some further monitoring. Strictly for her own sake, of course. If only she knew the girl's address... Then perhaps she could start sending letters to her from now on. Yes, that sounded very nice indeed.


End file.
